Today’s nude lip is sophisticated. Finding the perfect nude lipstick shade can be quite an endeavor, especially if your complexion is very pale or very dark. A too dark nude will make you look like you’re still trapped in the 90s, while a too light shade will suck the color out of your face and make you look like the walking dead. The right nude lipstick will balance your skin tone and give you a healthy glow. It can make you look demure or sexy, depending on its tone and finish.
“The most common mistake people make is that they think nude should be nude. Nobody looks good when they’ve completely obliterated their lip and it’s the same color as the complexion,” she says. “You should look alive. You want natural, but a bit pushed with neutral shades.” That’s the whole inspiration behind Armani’s new Lip Maestro Matte Nature range, which includes ten neutral shades created for every skin tone to find a match.
The following is 14 Best Nude Lipsticks for Every Skin Tone:
1. Lip Maestro Liquid Lipstick
BEST FOR MEDIUM SKIN
This velvety matte formula melts into your lips and wears comfortably, so you not only get a natural-looking hue but a finish that’s long-wearing enough to last through a four-course dinner.
2. L’Absolu Rouge in Timide
BEST FOR FAIR SKIN
This deliciously silky formula goes on sheer, so it both enhances and adapts to your natural lip color. You get a satin finish that doesn’t skew too glossy but still has a plumping effect.
3. Nude LaLa Semi-Matte Lipstick
BEST FOR DEEP SKIN
As a brand made for and by women of color, Mented always gets it right. You won’t need to worry about any ghostly looking shades with their adaptable colors that feel like butter on your lips.
4. MatteTrance Lipstick in Christy
BEST FOR MEDIUM SKIN
This lipstick is named after supermodel Christy Turlington, so you know it nails that ’90s nude lip look. This luxe formula is not only beautifully packaged, but a true matte that, unlike most, actually keeps lips moisturized.
5. Liquid Lipstick in Off Duty
BEST FOR FAIR SKIN
If clean, green ingredients is a big concern of yours, look no further than Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty. The brand recently introduced liquid lipsticks that are highly pigmented and last up to eight hours.
6. Fleshy Lips Lipstick in Hungry
BEST FOR MEDIUM SKIN
I’ve tried many nude lipsticks in my day, and none have impressed me as much as Flesh. This lipstick is super sheer but deposits just enough color to enhance my natural lips, plumping them up without getting too sticky like some glosses.
7. Vice Lipstick in En Fuego
BEST FOR DEEP SKIN
All you need is one swipe of this bullet to get an intense color payoff. En Fuego, with its tinge of rose, is a hue that works particularly well on richer skin tones.
8. Nude Creme Lipstick in Mocha Nude
BEST FOR DEEP SKIN
Kim Kardashian has made nude lipstick her beauty signature, so you can bet she knows how to create a great nude.
9. Baume à Lèvres Lipstick in Penelope Plum
BEST FOR MEDIUM TO DEEP SKIN
If you’re not much of a lipstick person but down for a tinted balm, it doesn’t get any better than Gucci Beauty’s balms.
10. SuperStay Matte Ink Lip Color in Poet
BEST FOR FAIR SKIN
Rub, wipe, eat, make out—no matter what you do this lip color is indestructible. Poet looks lovely on fair skin, but there are 20 shades in the range for everyone to find a color.
11. Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in La Dolce Vita
BEST FOR MEDIUM SKIN
As the shade name suggests, this pencil is nothing but sweet. It gives your pout just enough blush to look full and juicy, without being too pigmented and compete with makeup elsewhere.
12. Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in Thiccc
BEST FOR DEEP SKIN
Beyond the fun name—Thiccc—the singer’s interpretation of “nude” is a true matte but doesn’t drag or skip while you’re applying it. It feels so comfortable on the lips you forget you’re even wearing it.
13. Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Cashmere Silk
BEST FOR FAIR SKIN
NYX’s “Lip Lingerie” line includes 24 shades of barely-there lip colors for when you’re looking for subtlety. The silky liquid dries down matte and soft.
14. L’Oréal Colour Riche Matte Lipcolour
BEST FOR FAIR SKIN
This cream, matte lipstick promises rich color and hydration. It’s a tried and true drugstore staple, so you know you can get it even if you forget to pack a nude on your travels.
